Control device, and slave device control method

1. A control device provided in a slave device so as to control an operation of the slave device, which slave device is configured to be connected to a master device via an EtherCAT, said control device comprising: a slave communication controller configured to control communication carried out via the EtherCAT; a processing section configured to carry out arithmetic processing; an operation monitoring section configured to monitor an operation of the control device; and an output section configured to supply a control signal to a control target device whose operation is controlled in accordance with a command transmitted from the control device, the slave communication controller, the processing section, and the operation monitoring section being configured as a one-chip integrated circuit, the operation monitoring section including a watchdog timer, a during-malfunction operation control section configured to control a during-malfunction operation in a case where the malfunction has occurred in the operation of the control device, and an interrupt controller, the control device being configured so that in a case where the watchdog timer has detected that the malfunction has occurred in the operation of the control device, the watchdog timer transmits, to the during-malfunction operation control section, a malfunction occurrence signal indicating that a watchdog timeout has occurred, and the control device being configured so that in a case where the during-malfunction operation control section has received the malfunction occurrence signal, (i) the during-malfunction operation control section causes the interrupt controller to carry out an interrupt procedure so as to reset the processing section and (ii) the during-malfunction operation control section carries out control to (a) cause the interrupt controller not to stop an operation of the slave communication controller and (b) block the output section from supplying the control signal to the control target device.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein: in a case where the during-malfunction operation control section has received the malfunction occurrence signal, the during-malfunction operation control section transmits an error output signal; and the error output signal is a signal to be received by the control target device so as to cause the control target device to carry out control to stop an operation in the control target device.

3. The control device according to claim 2 , further comprising: a notifying section configured to provide a notification of a state of the control device, the control device being configured so that in a case where the notifying section has received the error output signal, the notifying section provides, to an outside of the slave device, malfunction information indicating the malfunction has occurred in the control device.

4. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the during-malfunction operation control section has received the malfunction occurrence signal, the during-malfunction operation control section transmits information to the master device by use of a data frame of the EtherCAT, the information indicating that the malfunction has occurred in the control device.

5. A method of controlling an operation of a slave device which is configured to be connected to a master device via an EtherCAT, said slave device comprising: a main control section including a slave communication controller configured to control communication carried out via EtherCAT, a processing section configured to carry out arithmetic processing, and an operation monitoring section configured to monitor an operation of the main control section, the slave communication controller, the processing section, and the operation monitoring section being configured as a one-chip integrated circuit, the slave device including an output section configured to supply a control signal to a control target device whose operation is controlled in accordance with a command transmitted from the main control section, the operation monitoring section including a watchdog timer, a during-malfunction operation control section configured to control a during-malfunction operation in a case where the malfunction has occurred in the operation of the main control section, and an interrupt controller, said method comprising the steps of: transmitting, to the during-malfunction operation control section, a malfunction occurrence signal indicative of an occurrence of a watchdog timeout, in a case where the watchdog timer has detected that the malfunction has occurred in the operation of the main control section; and causing, in a case where the during-malfunction operation control section has received the malfunction occurrence signal, the during-malfunction operation control section to (i) cause the interrupt controller to carry out an interrupt procedure so as to reset the processing section and (ii) carry out control to (a) cause the interrupt controller not to stop an operation of the slave communication controller and (b) block the output section from supplying the control signal to the control target device.